Douglas C. Haldeman, PhD

Candidate for APA president

May 2011, Vol 42, No. 5

Print version: page 82

I am honored and privileged to be a candidate for the APA presidency. My professional life of 28 years has been devoted to community service as a core value. My mission has been to improve the lives of others through clinical work, scholarly publication, policy and guideline development, and to make a difference in my community as a psychologist who happens to be a gay man. Twenty years ago, I began a journey in APA governance that continues to this day. Through participation with my state association and APA, I have come to see firsthand what psychology can do for people, their communities and the culture as a whole.

A Bay Area native, I attended University of California, Santa Cruz, and Stanford University. After working as a high school drama teacher, I returned to graduate school at the University of Washington, completing my PhD in 1984. I am committed to the scientist-practitioner model in which research and practice are reciprocally interlinked. As a practitioner seeking to connect with his community, profession and culture, I have always valued scholarly publication. I respect and value science because it has served as the foundation for everything I have written: numerous scholarly articles and chapters, practice guidelines and APA policies. Science likewise has informed my work as an instructor and supervisor at the University of Washington as well as a psychological evaluator of pilots for the FAA since 1985. I’ve lectured in the United States and abroad on various aspects of the ethical and competent treatment of members of marginalized groups in psychotherapy.

My professional life spans three decades of service to organized psychology. I started serving on committees of my state association (Washington), and belong to my home state’s association (California). For the past 10 years, it has been my pleasure to serve as a Council Representative from Divs. 42 and 44; a term on the APA Board of Directors (2006–08); and numerous committees, and I currently chair the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest. I’ve worked to bring the military and LGBT psychologists to accord and a functional working relationship, and to facilitate the groups representing social justice, ethics and the military to craft more explicit and useful policy statements about psychology’s role in interrogations. Currently, I serve on the boards of the APA Insurance Trust and the Association for the Advancement of Psychology. My work has been recognized with numerous awards.

I seek the presidency of APA to strengthen our connections within psychology and with society as a whole. I can bring our various elements together because I am invested in and fundamentally value the diverse domains of psychology. Additionally, I have the vision and the temperament to represent APA to the culture and the world. I’ve worked with enough APA presidents to understand what is realistic during a one-year term. Yet, as a marathon runner, I am a person of optimism and tenacity. I invite you to join the community supporting my election.

Candidate statement

My campaign is about developing a community whose purpose is strengthening the connections of psychology with our culture, and of connecting psychologists with each other. These connections are vital for psychology to be a leading force in all aspects of health and human behavior. How we can shape awareness of who we are — and what we have to offer — is central in psychology’s ability to be a force for good in the lives of individuals and our society.

Our strategic plan directs us toward greater stability and cohesiveness as an association, and enhanced opportunity in striving to end health disparities through integrated care. However, practitioners, scientists, educators, students and public interest colleagues all face threats against which we must stand united. Whether it is the practitioner affected by the incursion of managed care, the scientist whose funding is jeopardized, or the student who cannot find an internship, we must recognize that this is one discipline. We will strive to protect all of psychology through advocacy, as well as continuing our partner relationships with related health-care professions.

The president is the public face and voice of the association. As a long-term member of Council as well as the APA Board of Directors, I know that much happens in a president’s year that she or he was not expecting. The president must possess equanimity and thoughtfulness, eloquence, quick thinking and the collaborative nature of a true consensus-builder. I offer you that and more. In my extensive governance experience, I’ve had the opportunity to learn the collaborative culture of APA in a variety of venues, bringing together diverse groups to resolve complex issues.

If you resonate with these values and this vision, I invite you to join my online community, and I ask for your No. 1 vote.